There were no answers that Gene would provide concerning most administrators, though he did admit that Liam was Administrator 00899. A strange number considering Raina wasn’t an ‘administrator’ at all. Her permission was separate, categorized as simply a user with no numbers attached to it.

What would Taloc hide from me… About my own genetics? Like, he was bold enough to not care if he reincarnated me into my ex’s child…

Damnit… Taloc’s my dad isn’t he.

Ugh. What an ass.

Liam pondered that question, naturally concluding that the answer would only become more distasteful, so he abandoned the topic with all haste.

“Some mysteries are for future generations to figure out.” Said Liam, exiting the lab.

He needed to get home, back to the woman he loved and away from all this nonsense, if only he could fly…

Wind magic… The last affinity I don’t have and the one I need the most. It let Kinseeker turn invisible and fly.

Moriel Nekohiro was sitting in her human form, this time wearing clothes as she received a tongue lashing from her father. She was quite the picture of innocence, what with the half dozen white rabbits grazing around her, chowing down on the green grass as both parents glared at their daughter.

“Hey, I don’t–”

“Stay out of this! She is my daughter!” Snapped Mewro, his hair somehow rising with his temper.

It gave him a sort of straight haired afro and was tremendously impressive to Liam.

“Uhm… Wouldn’t dream of interfering between a father and his daughter. I need a wind mage who can teach me magic, then my business in your lands will be complete.”

Mewro jerked his head, confused by the answer. Afraid of losing Taloc’s prophet. “Lightning Lord, you’ve only just arrived–”

“--And I’ve got business elsewhere. Pandora assails Greenwood, and the paladins under my command walk a dangerous road without my guidance. Your home is lovely, but each day I remain here makes my skin crawl, because I know those I love are in danger.” Said Liam.

Raina rubbed her temples, releasing the smallest sigh as she tried to maintain her Queenly composure.

“Tufan, I don’t understand, but you are of our royal lineage, please, when your business is concluded, return to our lands. We will welcome you, and all those whom you love as our own family.” Said Raina.

Liam’s heart skipped a beat. His eyes began to water. What he was feeling now he’d never felt before, in any of his lives. No, he had felt this affection once, though it was mingled with bitterness and pain at the time. When he’d ordered Arlet to leave his side.

“Ahem. I still need a wind mage to teach me. You’re not rid of me yet.”

“I would teach you myself, but my spirit is ill at ease. You’re acquainted with Leandry, have her find you an appropriate tutor.”

“Thanks Raina,” Said Liam, heading for the steel door.

“Oh Tufan, don’t forget to say goodbye before you leave.” Called Raina.

He exited the white tree, taking one long glance at the silver leaves before running around the helical platform and crossing the rope bridge to find Leandry. Her eight foot tall frame towered above the crowd, and Liam immediately guessed that was why she had become Raina’s attendant. She was easy to find. A score of collared felinids stood around her, though one collared human was arguing for something, gesticulating emphatically to convey some point.

Ah, the life of a guard captain.

“Leandry!” Called Liam, stepping between catgirl and elf. “I require a wind mage to instruct me.”

At his call, the elf woman frowned, scowling until she saw it was him, then her frown deepened.

“Would you- Oh, yes sir! A wind mage tutor, but… you’re already a Lightning Lord… Ahem, what level is your wind magic?” Said Leandry, confused on why Taloc’s chosen elf needed instruction at all.

Liam ran his tongue over his molars, opening his mouth with a sigh.

“My wind magic has never awoken, not in this life, nor in my memories of a previous life. Despite my proficiency with lightning.” Said Liam, trying not to sound sheepish in front of so many elves and felinids.

“Memories of a previous life…?” Muttered Liandry, her frown twisting into confusion. “Sir, how old are you?”

“Oh I’m– uh…”

The question furrowed Liam’s brow, and for a moment he wasn’t sure how to answer it. Then an idea struck him, and he beckoned Leandry forward, making her lean down, he reached around her neck and pulled the woman’s long ear to his lips.

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“What I'm going to say will sound preposterous. Try not to spread it around much. I guess I’m technically a toddler, since I’m four years old. I think. Mom didn’t keep great track of my birthdays. My current appearance comes from my own magical augmentation that I had to undergo when my mother was executed.”

Liam couldn’t see her face, but the way her neck tensed told him she wasn’t pleased with his answer. He released her, and she leaned back, brows knitted, mouth pursed, but intentions inscruitible.

“How is it that you have magic at all?”

“Uhm… Praise Taloc?” Said Liam, meaning every syllable.

After all, his life was 100% the result of Taloc’s meddling. From his cursed birth, to the mana that now flowed within his veins.

“Praise Perun Taloc!” Shouted the collared human, her cry being echoed by the crowd.

It was Liam’s turn to frown. That wasn’t the god’s name. While Therun and Perun seemed similar, as if one was a human pronunciation and the other a half purr, they stemmed from different roots. Each was the name of a ‘god’ Taloc had slain in battle, and to make sure they stayed dead he had usurped the name, redirecting their fundamental lightning powers into himself.

“I’ll ask you the same thing I asked Lord Bishop Francois Pembroke, the moment before Taloc smote him. Why are you shortening Therun Perun Taloc’s name?”

The woman’s ears blushed red at Liam’s piercing gaze, suddenly unable to form words. The crowd was similarly cowed, falling into awkward silence.

“Shorten his name to Taloc, or not at all. When the first copy of Cody- I mean, the Teutonic Codex, when it becomes available you will understand why.” Said Liam, turning to Leandry, “So, think of any good wind magi yet?”

“Yes sir! Master Selewyne is the elf whom handles all novice wind magi. I’ll have him summoned at once Lord Alhusam!” Said Leandry, turning to another elf and jerking her head in a way that said ‘run like the dickens and fetch the master’.

“Hold up, if I'm asking for his knowledge, the least I can do is go to him.” Said Liam with a smile.

At his words the collared woman fell to her knees, crawling between Leandry’s –extraordinarily long– legs and grasping Liam’s pant legs. His immediate reflex was to kick the woman, he was a taken man! But he restrained himself.

“Please lord! Free us!” She cried.

“Leave my pants alone.” Growled Liam, grasping their hem so she couldn’t accidentally pull them down.

His words were almost lost as the crowd knelt and repeated her plea, crawling towards him with cat ears forward and tails high. Had it not been so pathetic, it almost would have been cute, like a sea of kittens meowing for his affection.

But these were grown adults.

“Fine! Now shut up!” Shouted Liam. putting a little thunder into his voice. “Form a line, hold hands with whomever your collar is paired to. These collars are tricky, so keep quiet while I work.”

Used to hostile orders, the felinids leapt to obey, dashing into a line, with a number of pairs leapfrogging backwards, trying to be last in line for some inexplicable reason.

“You’re first! Whose your partner?” Asked Liam, taking hold of the human woman’s collar.

She caught hold of a nearby felinid man, who reciprocated her touch.

“How did a human end up enslaved?” Asked Liam, not expecting an answer.

He was trying to get her talking, keep her mind occupied while he worked through the slave collar’s link. Tendrils of exploratory mana flowed from his fingers into the collar, probing the curse. If he ripped out the mana from both collars at the same second then neither collar would be able to poison its wearer. His earlier mishap had only occurred because the second collar had time to work evil. That was probably the light affinity component in these collars, if one collar was dispelled, then the light affinity could send a message to the other.

“-And when my dad caught us, he said ‘If you like fucking the animals then you can be one’ then he dragged us off and put these collars on…” Said the woman.

Oh what the hell! Her own father? I don’t even know Furana, but I would never enslave her! Jesus, even Taloc is a better dad than that!

Liam tried to pull the mana out of the collars, and found himself totally unable to. He leaned back, letting go of both collars.

“Hmmm, well, that’s not gonna work.” He said, flexing both hands into fists and then extending them.

“Uhm, this has never happened before.” Said Liam, suddenly realizing what performance anxiety was. “Hey, Leandry, is there a battle mage I can borrow a staff from? I’ve got too much mana right now. Or if there’s a hospital of wounded somewhere nearby that would work as a mana dump.”

The elf woman’s jaw went slack, her mouth opening in a ‘what the fuck are you?’ face. A staff seemed to appear between them, tapping on Liam’s shoulder.

“Mine is close to empty, though it is attuned to spirit mana.” Said an elf guard.

“Spirit, hmm. Let’s give this a try then.” Said Liam, borrowing the staff.

It’s gnarled wood had been smoothed by centuries –or maybe millenia– of elven hands carrying the tool, and he noticed that every microscopic detail of the runes had been filled with precious metals, primarily silver, but there were the occasional patch of gold or copper added for extra flare. The staff felt exquisite in his hand, as if he could beat an orc to death or flay it with a thousand wind blades.

Taking the staff in both hands he allowed a little of his lightning affinity flow into the arcane tool, just enough for a half powered bolt.

“Alright, try and release the mana I just put in there, aim for the sky.” Said Liam, passing the staff back.

The elf man blinked, then aimed into the canopy above, towards a tiny patch of blue sky. He closed his eyes and unleashed the lightning bolt, but his aim was fowl, and accidentally fried a passing pigeon. Feathers exploded as a lightning bolt strong enough to kill a human roasted the bird, making it poof into a cloud of feathers that rained over the crowd. Liam bit his lips shut, stifling a dark laugh. He took the staff once more, holding its four foot length in his hands as he filled it with all the lightning mana it could accept.

“Alright, enjoy. I should probably get my own staff…”

Or make my own staff. It wouldn’t be too difficult, I could grow the wood with life affinity, and then use earth for the metal… Liam shook his head, do that later!

“Alright,” He said aloud, turning to the felinid-human couple.

It took an hour to open all the collars, and in the end there were four people without partners, a problem Liam was uncomfortable solving on that day. So he promised to return to the forest square each day at the same time for the next week. Once freed the former slaves wept, while others cheered, finally separated from the last reminder of their enslavement.